5 Reasons Why Randall Flagg Is Stephen King’s Greatest Villain (& 5 Why He’s The Crimson King)

Stephen King created many iconic villains throughout his literary career, and as a result, it’s nearly impossible to pinpoint which one is truly the best, but Randall Flagg and the Crimson King are contenders. Several of his classic antagonists have appeared in various storiesswitching between worlds and taking on different faces as they pose new threats to new heroes. This allowed the author to create a kind of interconnected universe, with his books connected by these faceless villains who take on new roles each time. While many agree that Randall Flagg is King’s best villain, there is another suitable candidate for that title.

Both Randall Flagg and the Crimson King are powerful villains in the Dark Tower series, which spans several novels and even extends to some of King’s most popular standalone works. The series is the cornerstone of the author’s interconnected universe, with these villains playing important roles in dimensions other than their own. There has been endless debate over whether Flagg or the Crimson King is ultimately the better villain, but each character has their own strengths. The Dark Tower The book series is extremely popular and most of that comes down to the characters, including the series’ two villains and beyond.

10

Randall Flagg has the most appearances in King’s novels

The villain first appeared in the post-apocalyptic thriller The Stand

When discussing King’s best villain, there’s a reason why Randall Flagg’s name is mentioned so often. He’s undeniably the most interesting and complex villain the author has created, and a lot of that comes down to the fact that he’s appeared in several novels – including some of King’s most popular. Not only is he the main antagonist of the Dark Tower series, but he is also the main villain in The positionand plays a major role in The Dragon’s Eyes.

The character is so ingrained in King’s bibliography that It’s difficult to read any of the author’s early works without at least seeing the character’s footprints in this world. There are also numerous theories about the figure that fans have deduced over the years, including that Randall Flagg is Carrie’s father or that he was secretly the coordinator of the titular Mist in The fog. The fact that there is so much evidence for these theories proves how dense King’s writing and characterization of this figure is.

9

The Crimson King is Flagg’s Superior

The creature has much more power than Flagg

However, while Flagg is undeniably powerful and displays some shocking abilities in his various appearances, the truth still remains that the Crimson King is his superior. He is a high-ranking villain in the order of Dark Tower franchiseassuming the role of antagonist in the final book of the series and displaying the full strength of his supernatural abilities. He’s clearly more powerful than Flagg, and undeniably the most powerful villain in King’s multiverse, period, and his authority makes him even more intimidating.

Without the Crimson King, Flagg would not have the strength necessary to so easily fight the gunslinger during their encounters. While it would be reductive to say that Flagg is a puppet of the Crimson King, he certainly owes some of his strength to Dark Tower being, and this is clear enough evidence to assert that the Crimson King is a more powerful and dangerous villain. However, in Stephen King’s world, strength isn’t all that’s needed to be a formidable villain.

8

Flagg is a more complex character

Your personality is much more unpredictable

While the Crimson King may have untouchable strength, Flagg’s complexities and ambiguous background make him much more interesting to read. The only real information known about his origins and intentions is what he decides to share with the gunman, and even that isn’t entirely reliable. His motives are more dubious and less straightforward than the Crimson King’s quest for chaos, which makes him even more dangerous. Although Flagg wasn’t that interesting in the Dark Tower film that even Stephen King himself criticized, he is much more complex and enigmatic in the books.

Flagg has been present since the beginning of Dark Tower series, and it’s his cat-and-mouse chase with the gunslinger that makes the first story work so well. The reader doesn’t know much about any of the characters, but from the start, Flagg’s seemingly impossible feats of creating demons and reviving strangers make him such a compelling villain, and his revolving cycle of nicknames in The Dark Tower Show your shapeshifting and trickster skills. From then on, King’s characterization becomes richer and richer as he the dynamics between these two characters become increasingly complicated and difficult to discern.

7

The Crimson King’s only goal is destruction

He’s only interested in destroying the world and taking everyone with him.

Although Randall Flagg has complex motives and ambiguous goals that are often kept hidden from the reader, the Crimson King’s goal is much simpler: he thrives on chaos and seeks to destroy the entire multiverse bringing down the Dark Tower, the connecting point that supports all universes. While simplicity is often seen as the mark of a weak character, King really makes it work by presenting the Crimson King as someone who simply doesn’t care about the consequences of his actions and is only motivated by making others suffer. In this way, he is much less human and more frightening than Flagg.

There is something frightening about the Crimson King’s total lack of compassion or even recognition of his own evil; Flagg is at least aware of his own nature, even if that never stops him from being selfish and destructive. The Crimson King is the opposite – he is more of a primordial force than a human, born from the primordial soup from which the multiverse was created and driven by instincts of destruction and chaos. If the villain appears in the next Dark Tower television series, it would be fascinating to finally see this character adapted for the screen.

6

Flagg has a more developed story

King devoted more time to exploring Flagg’s character

While it’s the Crimson King’s unknowability that makes him a great villain, there’s arguably even more strength in having a villain with a rich, layered history that’s gradually revealed over the course of the series. This is what King does with Randall Flagg, offering readers a glimpse into his past during The Dark Towermost unsuspecting moments. These details always help make the character seem more real.giving him another dimension that is never present in Crimson King.

But notably, King never goes too far in detailing Flagg’s backstory, only revealing bits of his past when he uses other names, like Walter o’Dim or Marten Broadcloak. There’s still plenty of mystery to keep readers invested and often confused by his actions, which makes him even more interesting. A full story would definitely help make Flagg’s actions more comprehensive and understandable, but King knows that would only distract from the character’s mystery.

5

The Crimson King is an original fantasy character

He is one of Stephen King’s most interesting creations

Throughout his career, King created several iconic characters who are not human. Pennywise is probably the most obvious, with other creatures like the Boogeyman and vampire Kurt Barlow displaying the same creative horror that makes King such a talented writer. The Crimson King is a perfect example of this, serving as a vessel for some of the most evocative and disturbing prose in the horror genre as a whole.

There’s an ongoing theory among King fans that his oft-featured town, Castle Rock, is actually cursed, and the Crimson King is certainly evidence in favor of that conclusion. There are so many disturbing, supernatural creatures that King created in its fictional universe that it is impossible to believe that these cities and worlds are not cursed by something – but The Dark Tower it has the darkest and most horrible creatures of all.

4

Flagg is more present outside of the Dark Tower series

He has the most surprising appearances in King’s bibliography

Both characters are best known for their presence in King’s Dark Tower series, but that wasn’t actually the first place Randall Flagg was seen. The character was first introduced in The positionwhere he is portrayed as a post-apocalyptic demon who wreaks havoc after the world is destroyed by a supervirus. It is later revealed that this is the Dark Tower’s connection between universes, allowing Flagg to travel between stories and appear in countless different places.

That’s what makes him a great villain – he could appear in any Stephen King story, and the author played a lot with this idea. Flagg was an important character in The Dragon’s Eyes also, allowing you to make a name for yourself before The Dark Tower the franchise eventually brought him into the spotlight, and he appeared in other novels and short stories. This rich history among King’s works definitely makes him the most recognizable villain he’s written to date.

3

The Crimson King is described as omnipotent

The true extent of his power is unknown

Of all the Stephen King villains that have been introduced over the years, the Crimson King has a strong case for being the most powerful. During his last appearance in The Dark Towerthe creature is essentially depicted as totally omnipotent – ​​he is close to becoming a God, with all the power of the multiverse at his fingertips. The only other entity in Stephen King’s multiverse that surpasses the Crimson King in power and Stephen King’s multiversal god, Gan. Flagg’s power isn’t even close to that.

While power is obviously not enough to create a great villain alone, it’s the way the Crimson King uses his power that makes him so domineering. He is never afraid to push the limits of his abilities, going further than any other King villain and posing a legitimate threat to reality. While these fierce characters can often ruin stories by being overpowered, It is the limitless power of the Crimson King that keeps The Dark Towerthe stakes are consistently highsince really anything could happen, especially with an antagonist whose evil manipulations can span multiple universes.

2

Flagg has several different identities

The villain has many names and faces

A strength of a character appearing in multiple different timelines and projects is that they don’t always have to use the same identity. This is exactly the case with Randall Flagg, whose real name is somewhat mysterious. He used several different nicknames throughout King’s careerwhich allows him to adopt several different personalities and ideologies while remaining the same person.

Although Flagg hasn’t been as interesting a villain in films and miniseries as he has been in Stephen King’s books, the original version of the character is unlike any other literary villain. He appears in different places with different names and, as an almost immortal being, has lived for centuries, and it takes some real detective work to realize that they are the same person. It’s like an added challenge for the reader, trying to discover Flagg’s different identities alongside the book’s heroes.

1

The Crimson King is the puppet behind the king’s other villains

The villain is responsible for many other monsters in the King universe

While Flagg is a more interesting character in isolation, the Crimson King has the added bonus of being responsible for countless other villains in Stephen King lore. His position as an “omnipotent” creature in The Dark Tower the series essentially gives him dominion over that universe’s lesser monsters, including vampires and zombie-like creatures that cause trouble in his name.

Stephen King has often said that the Crimson King is heavily inspired by Sauron of The Lord of the Ringsa dark wizard with control over the orc population of Middle Earth. Although there are several differences between the characters, this is just another point to prove the Crimson King’s immense strength, and allows the villain to take responsibility for the actions of countless other monsters in the series.